Portret van een onbekende jonge vrouw met poes 1897 - 1920

Walter Barnett made this photograph of an unknown young woman with a cat sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. There’s something so luscious about the monochromatic palette, like faded velvet. It’s got that soft, diffused quality that makes you think about how photographs age and change over time. Look at the way the light catches the woman's lace hat and the folds of her sleeves, it's all about texture. The cat itself is almost lost in her arms, but you can just make out its fuzzy little face. This whole image feels like a half-remembered dream, or a scene from a play. Thinking about it, this photograph reminds me a little of Julia Margaret Cameron's portraits, especially in the way it uses soft focus to create a sense of intimacy and mystery. It's this lovely dance between clarity and ambiguity. The portrait is an invitation to make up your own story about who this woman was.